best college teachers

How do they conduct class? (1) An intriguing question or problem (2) helping to see the significance of the question (embed the disciplines issues in broader concerns) (3) higher-order intellectual activity - not only listen and remember but compare, apply, evaluate, analyze, synthesize (4) an enviroment that helps students answer the question (5) leaving students with a question "what's the next question?" (at the end of class - what conclusion did you draw? what questions remain in your mind?)
seek commitment - the decision to take the class is a decision to attend every class each time it meets and my commitment is offer sessions worth attending (let me know if it is not happening) Ask for a show of hands of students willing to be on time each day and participate intellectually, the decision to take the course is yours, but once you make that decision, you have responsibilities to everyone else in this community of learners.
emphasize basic concepts and then add more complexity, use everyday examples - good explanations are not necessarily the most accurate or detailed but allow for the beginning of constructing understanding
creating heterogenous communities - ask the most experienced person to stand in one place and match with less experienced
group work system = individually collect thoughts on paper, then with someone else (think then pair), then pairs pair up with other pairs (think/pair/square), then full class (think/pair/square/share)
Burgess minute around - each student gets one minute to make initial contribution to discussion, the longer students sit without saying anything, the harder it is to bring them into the discussion
- ask "before we get started" questions to avoid the "playing student" responses

Summary: present choice and expect commitment (personal responsibility), learning through "essences" and layers of increasing complexity, expect engagement and contribution (build community)